Thursday, December 24, 2015

The rise of the Internet has brought us dozens (maybe
hundreds) of websites that attempt to give advice to aspiring authors. And then
we have the countless chat rooms and message boards, where peer-to-peer
counseling thrives. And after twelve years in the business, I’ve come to a
conclusion:

There’s an awful lot of bad advice getting passed around out
there.

Mind you, it’s not that reliable sources don’t exist. Writer
groups, mentors, reference books, and conferences abound. But in my experience,
most writers aren’t interested. They just want to write, and then take their
chances in the fickle, unpredictable marketplace.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Recently I discovered this online article from Forbes
magazine, about the virtues of self-publishing.

It’s more than three years old,
but the commentary by contributor David Vinjamuri is still quite
timely. Many new authors believe that they will find their salvation in
self-pub; and in some very rare cases,
they do. But overall, let’s just say that I’m skeptical.

First, a stat that no one can ignore: Over 95% of all
self-pub books never sell 100 copies (Publisher’s Weekly). As a writer myself,
I certainly understand the passion to get into print. But most writers I meet,
have no interest in learning the business. They just want to write, and leave
the rest to someone else. Not a good formula for success.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

According to one oft-cited source, about 81% of all Americans
say they want to write a book. That’s 243 million aspiring authors! And furthermore,
there are about six million book proposals, queries, and manuscripts making the
rounds among American publishers and literary agents at any one time.

Yikes!

What do these stats tell me? Well, it’s not rocket science: Almost
everyone has a story inside them, and they want to share it with the world.
Some kids grow up dreaming of a career in medicine, or law, or show business. Me,
I wanted to write. Indeed, no matter their day job, about four-fifths of us
want to write. It’s a passion. A calling. I know it well.

Friday, July 10, 2015

The Authors Guild recently announced the launch of its Fair
Contract Initiative. Essentially this means they believe that publishers are
getting fat on the backs of struggling writers, and that said publishers should share the
wealth more fairly.

But what, exactly, is fair?

This week, the issue has to do with e-book royalties. The
standard publishing contract offers a 25% royalty for e-books, but the Guild
believes it should be much higher. After all, it costs nothing to produce an e-book, and nothing for shipping. Why can’t
they pay more?

But here's the thing: the process for producing an e-book is exactly the same as any other. They're not free to produce, and they never were.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Forgive me if I seem obsessed with this subject, seeing as I've written about it a few times before. But I can't seem to get it out of my head.

It’s an age-old question, and one that gives rise to strong
passions on all sides. The issue comes up eventually for every writer, editor,
and agent in the land: Do you need an agent, to get published? My short answer
is no; but if you go it alone, you won’t know what you’re missing. You don’t
know that you don’t know.

For me it's a lot like dating: If you got what you wanted, would you know what to do next? Are you prepared for the 20-page contract from
Penguin?

Monday, February 23, 2015

No, not that kind of platform

Just a few weeks ago, I spoke for a writers’ event in Los
Angeles. This much wasn’t new or newsworthy, as I do this often. However, this
was my first solo event, and about
fifty people came out to hear me pontificate about the publishing business. Apparently I’m getting good at this thing.

During the Q & A that followed, someone asked if a
novelist needs to have “platform.” That is, does it matter whether you’re
already well-known in the marketplace, in order to attract interest from
editors and agents? Or, for that matter, retail buyers? .

About Me

AAR-member agent.
.________________________________
I was born in 1962 in an old Spanish colony on the coast of California. They called it "The Village of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels," in honor of Mary the mother of Jesus. Never heard of it? Oh, silly me. Like most people, you probably know it by its abbreviated name in Spanish: Los Angeles.
I grew up somewhere between the gleaming glass towers of Bunker Hill and the bright lights of Hollywood. I was a storyteller almost from birth; poems, articles, business letters, whatever. But like almost all writers, I kept a day job; in-between gigs I found gainful employment as a clerk typist, vitamin buyer, waiter, fundraiser, prep cook, gardener, lifeguard, bookkeeper, grocery checker, printer's apprentice, and meat cutter.
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In time I had a couple of books published. One thing led to another, I edited books for others and managed a writers’ conference, making many valuable contacts along the way. As an agent I made my first sale in only five months; so I think I will stick with this for a while.Swimming, gardening, and cooking keep my hands busy in-between.